Pleasant Walk
by Zabbie Q
Summary: While visiting Miyuki's grandmother, Reika takes a walk on a mountain path — with company.


A big shout out to Анита10 (Anita10) of Ficbook, the self-proclaimed Jokarei patriot, for her support. Check out her Smile Precure fic, "Русалочка" ("Mermaid"), which is a re-imagining of "The Little Mermaid" mixed with the legend of the ningyo, the Japanese mermaid. Despite knowing little Russian, I enjoyed the Google translation of the fic.

* * *

The gentle zephyr continued to blow even after the initial blast of the tengu's fan had diminished, cooling the otherwise warm day to a comfortable balm. Reika gazed out at the green mountains and farm landscape, noting with interest how the trees near Hoshizora Tae's house swayed and bobbed as if caught in an impromptu dance while the plant life further out remained stationary in their doldrums. Perhaps the winged youkai still moved about the valley, changing the currents as it pleased.

_Remarkable_, she thought, closing her blue eyes to enjoy the coolness upon her face. The breeze played against the side locks of her princess-style zaffre hair. She considered it an honor for such a powerful, mysterious creature to venture near her and her five friends to give its blessings.

"The wind feels so good," Miyuki sighed on the other end of their relaxed line.

Reika nodded in unison with the others. The girls all congregated now on the wooden engawa for a pre-lunch appetizer. Reika formed the tail of their colonnade and their coincidental spectrum. Viridescent Nao sat on her left with blonde Yayoi close beside her. Red-haired Akane and pink Miyuki made up the other end, with tiny Candy and the plate of inari sushi right between them. Miyuki's grandmother had vanished into the house to check on their noontime feast, and Reika's friends dug into the platter of fried rice rolls as if it were a victory banquet. In a way, it was exactly that. They had kept Wolfrun, the bipedal canine general, from destroying the house (with some help from their enigmatic new ally), and the wolf had not even collected a smidgen of Bad Energy from Mrs. Hoshizora.

Reika smiled at herself. If she and her friends could turn into superheroes through a fairy queen's magic, travel to different dimensions through books or a moon portal, and battle with villains from fairy tales, it really shouldn't have come as a surprise to discover youkai really could exist in this world. Wasn't it true humanity knew more about the stars than Earth's own oceans? If the deepest waters still had mysteries yet to be found by the greatest minds, then it was not too far a leap in logic for these quiet mountains to hold secrets.

Reika asked for another roll to be passed to her, and she took neat, mannerly bites, careful to wet the fried skin and rice with her lips to keep crumbs from spilling onto her white-and-blue dress. A lovely cotton creation, it had a lacy, light-blue shawl sewn into its puffed sleeves, making it resemble the collar of a sailor dress. Three blue buttons sat on the front while the folds her white skirt had been pulled back into a large white bow. It was her new favorite for the year, and best of all it had deep pockets to hide her Smile Pact without leaving a bulge for outsiders to question.

A happy chirp drew Reika's attention, and she turned to grin at their most tangible proof of the supernatural, who took advantage of Mrs. Hoshizora's absence to munch freely on a sushi roll between her little white paws. Although a child by fairy standards, Candy's little stomach could conquer and contain the largest feasts. She chomped through her sushi easily and wiped her hands on her swelling belly. Then, with a glow of the heart-shaped birthmarks on her round forehead, Candy drew out the pink Décor Décor, the special chest they used to cleanse and store the magical Cure Décor.

She quickly retrieved the two new charms they had collected from Wolfrun, holding them up to admire. One had been crafted in the image of a black piano; the other resembled a kiwi fruit sliced in half with a white star in its lime-green center.

"I'm gonna have fun with this one!" Candy chirruped, waving the Piano Décor in the air.

"We can have our own concert," giggled Yayoi, smiling at the fairy around Akane.

Reika tilted her head, studying the little charm. "Pianos were invented around the beginning of the eighteenth century," she remembered. "How and when were the Cure Décor created?"

"Um..." Candy's glistening blue eyes grew perplexed.

"Come to think of it," said Yayoi, lifting her chin reflectively, "we used to have the Phone Décor. It looked like an opened flip phone, but that's a recent invention."

Reika nodded. "Did the Queen have a different Phone Décor before cellular phones were invented? And was there a Cure Décor for communication before Alexander Graham Bell?"

Little drops of sweat appeared across Candy's fur. "Well... Uh... When we revive the Queen, you can ask her then!" she said stoutly, spinning away.

"However they're made, I bet this one is going to make tasty food," said Miyuki with a vivacious smile, pointing toward the Kiwi Décor.

"We sure got a lot of food-related ones so far," observed Akane, taking their collection from Candy and holding it so the others could see. The Pudding, the Macaron, the Jelly, and the new Kiwi Décors formed a vertical line in the second column of the pink chest.

"I bet they're all yummy," Yayoi said, her yellow eyes taking on a sudden shine.

Akane laughed. "Maybe we can pop them in sometime and have a real feast. Not today though," she added. She patted her flat stomach, shifting back on her other hand with a playful grin. "I need to save room for anything else Miyuki's grandma serves up."

"I can get behind that feast plan," beamed Nao, giving her a thumbs-up.

"You would," Akane returned.

Reika pressed her lips together, glancing from the Décor Décor to the plate of sushi. It sounded like fun, but it also brought to her mind an uncomfortable thought.

"Wolfrun certainly looked hungry," she said quietly, uncertainty drawing her zaffre brows down over her round eyes. "I suppose—if one were to believe what has been said about the Bad End Kingdom—then it's probable he felt famished."

Nao turned to her, her green eyes dull. "That's assuming you can believe 'what's been said about the Bad End Kingdom,' Reika," she said flatly. "Personally, I don't trust that clown as far as I can throw him."

"Given how skinny he is, that's probably not a hard feat," cracked Akane. "But Nao's right. You shouldn't take anything Joker says for absolute fact."

"I don't. I really don't," Reika assured them. "But I can't deny some of what he says makes sense. I can't imagine much in the way of agricultural advancements developing in that realm."

Nao shook her head. "If they're as hungry as Joker claims, then Emperor Pierrot shoulda used the Cure Décor to feed his people instead of turning them into Akanbe Noses to give everyone a Bad End—or maybe asked the Royal Queen-sama to use her magic to help his land instead of invading Märchenland."

"It is a fair point," conceded Reika.

Miyuki crossed her arms. "Well, hungry or not, I'm not too happy about Wolfrun trying to destroy my grandmother's house," she frowned. "He didn't have to do that, even if he did hate being called cute."

"Another fair point," said Reika.

Miyuki pursed her lips together, for a moment resembling a duck. Her pink eyes glared at her grandmother's rows of vegetables as if she could still see the sinewy wolf in front of them. Then, to Reika's surprise, she let out a soft sigh.

"But I also remember this Russian fairy tale I read a few years ago," she said with resignation. "A girl's wicked step-mother sent her into the woods to meet her new step-aunt, a witch named Baba Yaga. The step-mother hoped Baba Yaga would eat the girl, but the girl was very nice to her aunt's servants. She gave the dog and cat a little food. She oiled the hinges on the squeaky gate. She tied her pretty ribbon on a birch tree which would've poked her eyes out. Then all the servants helped her escape because she had shown kindness while Baba Yaga had neglected them."

Reika nodded, appreciative. Nao, Yayoi, and Akane exchanged silent looks.

Finally, Akane said, "Well, that may be true, but those Bad End guys have been more like Baba Yaga to us."

"Yeah," said Nao.

Yayoi gave a brief nod, gazing down at the half-eaten sushi in her lap.

"Well, it isn't as if they are from the Good End Kingdom," Reika pointed out.

Before any of them could offer a counter argument, the soft footfalls of Miyuki's grandmother arose behind them, and Mrs. Hoshizora called them into the house for lunch. Nao, ever helpful, kicked off her shoes first and strode inside to start carrying dishes. Miyuki, Akane, and Yayoi followed on her heels with Candy in tow. Reika retrieved the abandoned plate of fried rolls. It still had a sizable stack despite the voracious appetites of some of its intended recipients, who had controlled themselves as conscientious house guests.

Although the rolls had cooled some, they still smelled delicious. In a flash, an idea seized Reika. Slipping off her blue Mary Janes, she carried the leftovers to the kitchen where the others were splitting the mealtime tasks. Reika quietly laid the plate on the counter and retreated to the room where they had slept the previous night. She took two of her spare clean handkerchiefs from her cream-and-brown travel bag. None of the girls gave her a second glance when Reika returned to the kitchen and wrapped an inari sushi roll into each of her handkerchiefs before she stuck them into the pocket of her pleated skirt.

After lunch, Nao and Miyuki helped Mrs. Hoshizora clear the dishes while Yayoi and Akane took a very stuffed Candy outside where the fairy could nap in the shade of a tree. Reika returned to the spare room and retrieved her wide white sun hat with the blue ribbon. Stepping back into her shoes, she descended from the engawa and walked casually toward the forest path.

"I think I'll take a little walk before we go back to helping with the vegetables," she said, looking over her shoulder without breaking her stride.

Akane lazily shielded her gaze against the sun to squint at her. "Want us to come with you?"

"Oh no," Reika smiled. "I want to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature for a little while."

"Don't go by the river without a cucumber for a kappa," Yayoi warned, her expression a combination of apprehension toward a legitimate threat and her natural appreciation for the strange and unusual. "If tengu are real, they probably are too."

Reika nodded her thanks for the concern. "Don't worry. I have my Smile Pact if there's trouble, and I'll be sure to stay on the path."

"So what else is new?" joked Akane before she sank down beside Candy, who already snored.

Reika gave them a friendly wave, linked her hands, and started down the dirt path.

* * *

The shade enveloped her in a pleasant coolness, a sweet contrast to the radiant sunbeams which still trickled through the vibrant green canopy above her head. The dirt road wound through the blanket of bushes and between the trunks standing sentry. Reika scanned the bends and slopes waiting for her footsteps.

_If only all paths were as clear as this one_, she thought with a rueful smile. At times she wondered if she were balancing on a tightrope instead, but she took heart in those little things which guided her way. She patted the soft bulge bumping against her leg, and she continued.

Few roads or stories seemed to have as many twists as the one she etched as a Precure, and her growing acquaintanceship with the right-hand jester of an imperial clown monster certainly ranked high on her list of the unexpected. When she had fought Joker all those weeks ago, she had hoped never to see him or his dark homeland ever again. However, kismet had dealt her a different hand.

Shortly before the summer break, Reika's heart had turned to water when she had come home to find Joker waiting for her in her bedroom. Reika had drawn out her Smile Pact, prepared to defend her family even at the cost of revealing her secret. Yet Joker had made no move to harm her. He had not even created a Bad End Space to send her household into despair. He only bowed to her as if addressing the daughter of a king and asked for a moment of her time. She had not been in a position to dismiss him, keenly aware of the precious collection of potential hostages in mere shouting distance.

For the next hour, he sat cross-legged on her floor, describing in depth the daily life in the Bad End Kingdom. He detailed the constant stream of miserable sprites and specters who came to the palace to beseech Emperor Pierrot for rain for their pitiful crops or to set up barrier spells along the rivers and coasts to keep malignant mermaids from trying to drown them while they fished.

"If a happy story is put to print, the characters become Märchenland fairies. If a sad story, the characters become Bad End sprites," he explained. "And my goodness, the Human World simply adores sad stories, don't it?"

She had been reticent. She doubted he had told her the entire truth, but her own witness of his homeland gave some credence to his statements. The more he spoke of sad stories from around the globe—the bunyip who turned the hunters and their families into black swans, the sea monsters who resembled islands and ate unsuspecting sailors, the dead girls who became vengeful spirits that lured men to their deaths—the more a stream of compassion flowed through Reika toward him and his people. After a while, Joker switched to describing the different ways Emperor Pierrot had helped his kingdom, from making rice grow in barren fields to the number of orphanages he had built. Again and again, Joker stressed the comforts and powers a loyal servant of the crown enjoyed until one would have thought the Emperor of Evil was actually a patron saint for the miserable.

Joker asked for neither approval nor atonement for his previous behavior, and when he finished, he merely watched her in silence. After Reika had given herself a brief moment to digest this new information, she met his dark gaze.

"You naturally realize I shall have to tell my friends about this, don't you?"

"Naturally," he replied without a glimmer of disapproval on his tapered countenance.

Although she didn't know if she could truly believe him, the tide of empathy would not recede. She offered him a cup of tea, which he accepted with relish and a regal dip of his well-kept head.

He visited no less than once a week after that, usually when she was by herself and usually with a volley of compliments on his pale lips. Sometimes he brought an omnibus with him filled with sad tales as evidence for his anecdotes. Sometimes he brought seemingly innocent presents like flowers which he made appear with a snap of his fingers. When they discovered they both liked poetry, Joker shared samples of Emperor Pierrot's own writings, which he translated for her from French, Italian, and even Russian. A few of them had been about girls with European names like Columbine and Malvina, but a large number had shown the emperor's fascination with the moon, which he lauded as a faithful friend. These reminded Reika of Kaguya-hime and the Moon Kingdom, and Joker had been astonished to discover the moon princess's sad story had been her childhood favorite.

Whatever Joker's real motivations, Reika surmised he acted independently from the three generals, perhaps even without the knowledge of Emperor Pierrot. In which case, that only raised more questions as to why Joker had such a specific interest in her. But no matter his ploy, Reika was not without a strategy of her own, one which a creature so used to cruelty and despair wouldn't expect from an enemy. Fortunately for her, the Russian story which Miyuki had shared with the girls had only strengthened her resolve toward her chosen path.

After she had walked a few minutes, far enough for the house to be all but completely obscured by the bushes and branches, she stopped beneath a tree.

Without looking away from the trail, she said, "Lovely day, isn't it, Joker-san?"

A quiet chuckle arose behind her.

"Indeed," came the jaunty answer. "And it's rapidly improving in such singular company."

She turned her head to offer him a welcoming smile. The tall youth gave her a genteel bow of greeting, much like a European gentleman of bygone days. A white mask concealed the top half of his pointed features, just above a pearly smile which radiated across his clear face. Deep-purple bangs hung loosely on either side of his tenebrous eyes, offsetting the variegated craftsmanship of his blond-red-and-blue head, a testimonial to the artisan imagination she had begun to know.

She gave a polite bow, and Joker fell into step beside her.

"The forest path is pleasant in the shade, isn't it?" she commented, glancing about their verdant surroundings.

"Delightful." He gave another soft laugh, tucking his arms behind him. "Your parents must have copious levels of trust if they've allowed you to come, unsupervised, into the mountains with your friends, to stay with a woman they've never met."

She chuckled as well. "Mother and Father are quite fond of Miyuki-san's parents. Her father assured them of our safety. This was his childhood home, after all."

"Ah, but what would your parents say if they knew youkai lurked in these hills?" he commented, swinging himself around to float backwards in the air, his curled shoes grazing the earth. He shielded his tunnel-like eyes, squinting in his pretend search for apparitions.

"But then," he added with a jesting smirk, "the Aokis might be more interested in knowing they had a legendary warrior for a relative, mightn't they?"

Reika gave a vague nod in response, but she flushed a little, feeling that familiar uneasiness. She concealed a considerably large secret from her loved ones, but the Precure had all agreed not to share their powers or mission with their families, who would probably have forbidden them from saving the world. Reika could only imagine her mother's reaction if she ever saw her battling a clown-faced Akanbe monster (or even saw Cure Beauty's hairstyle).

At Joker's casual mention of youkai, however, she discreetly checked his pale face. He had shown up soon after the last two times a Bad End general had fought the Precure, leading her to guess he had some type of scrying magic. After Akaoni had sent a beach population into despair while the girls had been busy helping Nao's and Akane's families with their respective food stands, Joker appeared during the pre-dinner lull when Reika had watched the counter by herself. He ordered a considerable selection of kakigouri flavors, as if trying to distract her from his subordinate's indiscretions. When Majorina had hijacked the Summer Festival with a Bad End Space, Joker gifted Reika with a pretty fish tank for the sizable school she had caught at the kingyo-sukui booth. However, if Joker had any opinion regarding Wolfrun's recent defeat, he hid it well with a placid beam.

Deciding it would be best to steer their conversation to safer waters, Reika jumped upon the opportunity he had provided.

"Are you very familiar with youkai folklore, Joker-san?" she asked, curious of the vast scope of his peculiar knowledge.

He gave her a dry look, chuckling behind closed lips. "If it's been featured in print and has an unhappy ending, it's been seen among the Bad End denizens. Or, at least, versions of them," he corrected himself. "You'll find our sprite youkai are slightly different from the parent race."

Reika widened her eyes, interested. "Really?"

"Isn't Akaoni-san a Bad End youkai?" he reminded her innocently.

She laid a hand against her chin, nodding. "Yes; but I suppose I've stopped associating him with folklore," she said slowly. "It's quite different when you know a mythological creature personally, isn't it?"

He looped his tapered thumbs against his loose yellow belt, giving yet another chuckle. He actually had a pleasant laugh, Reika thought. Although she didn't care for it when they first met, in these past few weeks she started noticing it more: Joker certainly offered her plenty of samples for comparison.

"Well then, you've made friends with a tengu, it'd seem," he observed, stroking his pointed chin. "He came quickly to Hoshizora Tae-san's aid, didn't he?"

Reika nodded. "Miyuki-san's grandmother often leaves offerings at the local shrine, as I understand it. She's very respectful toward the mountain folk."

"Victuals are the universal language, aren't they?"

Reika pulled upright, smiling. "Oh, I almost forgot." She slipped a hand into her skirt pocket and withdrew the two inari sushi. "I saved these in case you dropped by today. If you want them."

The holes of his mask closed in a slow blink. He glanced from her proffered hand to her smile then back.

"For me?" he asked politely, but he could not completely hide his skepticism.

"I know you can snap and conjure anything you'd like, but it's yours if you want it."

He blinked at her again, as if unable to figure out how to respond. At last, he said, "Well, even if it were possible to conjure up such tasty delicacies, one is never too powerful to refuse free food, Cure Beauty."

She touched her lips to contain a giggle.

He accepted the rolls and unwrapped one just a little. He held it up as if trying to examine it in one of the sunbeams penetrating through the leaves.

"I've heard of these things," he said. "The kitsune are partial to these, yes?"

Reika nodded. "I believe so."

He took a small taste, his sharp teeth digging into the fried roll. He gave a nod of approval which shifted into a bow of gratitude.

"Thank you very much, Cure Beauty," he said in his airy yet formal way. "How fortunate am I to have such an exceptional acquaintance."

"I'm glad you like them," she replied with proper decorum, but an inward flare of hope flickered inside her as the two resumed their pace. Perhaps the Path of Kindness would prove a successful route — although she knew it'd take more than a pair of homemade sushi rolls to reach her desired destination.

But at least she had started down a promising road.

After they had walked in silence for a few minutes, Joker remarked, "Cure Happy's grandmother mistook Wolfrun-san for a kitsune, didn't she? Then she made these for him to enjoy."

Reika nodded. "She wanted to be nice to him, I'm sure."

_Just like I want to be nice to you, Joker-san_, she added silently.

"She's an interesting specimen, that Hoshizora woman." He inspected the now exposed sushi rice between the bitemarks. "And no Bad Energy was harvested from her at all?"

Reika shook her head. Mrs. Hoshizora's tranquil smile had not diminished a fraction in the wolf's moonlit Bad End Space, much to the Precure's amazement (and Wolfrun's chagrin). Reika herself had once fallen under the spell of the Bad End Space before she became Cure Beauty — perhaps more than once if she could judge by Akane's and Yayoi's stories of how they had become Precure while on school grounds. She could vaguely recall the sense of unadulterated hopelessness, and the world around her had become a blur until she had been drawn back to proper lucidity. As such, her respect for Mrs. Hoshizora's strong, hopeful heart had only increased.

Joker finished the first sushi roll and dusted off his fingers with a clean corner of the slightly greasy handkerchief. He slowed his pace, turning his head toward Reika.

"Cure Happy's grandmother is the one who told her so many stories, yes?"

"She's well informed," Reika said, with admiration.

"Hmmm," came the high-pitched response. He laid his head to the side, looking as though he were choosing his next words carefully. "Tell me. Has Cure Happy ever spoken about her grandfather?"

She raised her shoulders into a small apologetic shrug. "She didn't get a chance to know him," she said. "On the trip up here, she said her grandfather died before her father was born."

He pursed his wide lips. "Has Hoshizora Tae-san ever shown her his grave before?"

"I couldn't tell you. Why?"

"I wonder..." His head gave a sharp shake. "No, no, no. Too unlikely."

"What?"

He gestured carelessly, her empty handkerchief in one palm while the uneaten treat rested in the other. "Oh, it's just a silly thought. Only a clown could think it up."

"Even a clown's thoughts can have a grain of wisdom, as I've seen," she said with sincerity, offering him an encouraging grin.

"Well, how can I put this...?" he murmured.

He shifted his roll into his left hand, halting. Before Reika realized what he was doing, Joker reached toward the side of her head and touched behind her ear. She straightened as his fingers brushed against her hair, and her heart seemed to leap up several inches. Yet just as quickly he pulled back, and he withdrew a pink card with a woman's silhouette.

She laid her palm against her face, forcing a calm expression over her features as Joker held his card up to his eye level. She realized then the silhouette had the same hairstyle and proportions as Mrs. Hoshizora.

"Perhaps," he said, "Hoshizora-san is so well informed about mountain youkai because she had close dealings with a specific one." He reached behind his own pointed ear with two fingers, and from the stiff strands of turquoise hair, he brought out a baby-blue card, this one with a silhouette of a long-nosed tengu. He tapped the sides of the two cards together.

"Dealings of a personal kind," he elaborated with an insinuating twitch of his lips.

Reika's mouth parted, and she promptly covered it. "You don't mean..."

"But it's probably unlikely," he said serenely. He let the cards fall, and they disappeared into bursts of purple light. He unwrapped the second inari sushi.

"It'd make Cure Happy's father a half-breed, but he doesn't seem to have any magical abilities from what I've observed. Unless," he mused, "youkai magic skips a generation. It'd explain why the Queen's lights picked Happy to be the first Precure. But one would think Cure March's winds would be better suited to the grandchild of a tengu. Assuming Hoshizora-san didn't select a different creature for her mate."

Reika gaped at him behind her fingers. She couldn't believe it, yet if it were true, then the tengu from earlier had been aiding not just his mortal lover, but his visiting granddaughter and her friends. The gentle breeze he had given the Precure could have been more than just a display of gratitude, rather a whisper of a grandsire's tender affections...

Reika pushed the thought down with a firm hand. It was better not to venture down a rabbit trail of speculation, especially regarding a close friend's lineage.

"But I'm fully human," she pointed out, "and I'm a Precure."

Joker smirked, inclining his head over her. "Are you completely sure about that?" he teased, stepping closer. "Perhaps you have a yuki-onna somewhere up in your family tree. It'd explain a lot about you, Cure Beauty."

She gave a sheepish smile. "I'm quite sure," she replied. "The Aokis have been meticulous with their genealogy."

One black eye widened almost to the size of a magnify glass. "The distaff side as well?"

"My mother would be delighted to share her family tree if you but ask her."

He stepped back, shrugging. "Ah, these are just a jester's observations. Take them with a pinch of salt."

She smiled at his deliberate irony in spite of herself, knowing from her personal research of medieval Europe what role a court jester truly played for his monarch. She folded her arms, resting her chin against her fingers. Although she doubted Miyuki had a drop of mystical blood in her veins, Joker's musings presented a new thought.

"So, do half-human children really exist?" she asked, knitting her brow as they started off again.

"Well, I'm hardly an expert," he replied, "but almost every culture on your planet has stories of humans marrying gods and mythological beings. As youkai and creatures like the Pegasus exist, I'm inclined to think there is some fact among the fiction. I personally haven't seen a true half-breed," he added. "Only those fairies and sprites born from myths passing into books, like Hercules-san and his many, many siblings."

"Fascinating," Reika murmured.

He gave her a calculating glance. "Do you think so?"

She nodded, feeling an excited flush rise through her. Her blue eyes sparkled with awakened scientific curiosity.

"In our textbooks," she said slowly, "it says biologists classify organisms by kingdom, family, genus, and so forth. For two organisms to be part of the same species, they must be able to produce viable offspring which in turn can produce viable offspring. Simply put, while a horse and a donkey can produce a mule, most mules are sterile. Ergo, horses and donkeys are not considered the same species, scientifically speaking. So," she said, coming to her point, "does that principle apply to magical marriages?"

And what implications did that have for science? Or even for the cultural barriers which separated humanity from potential cousins? If these beings were the same as humans, perhaps some hope glimmered on the horizon for the future peace between Earth, Märchenland and the Bad End Kingdom.

She turned to smile at Joker, but her grin faded when she saw he still wore that quiet, calculating look. She coughed into her hand, and the pink happy heat of her skin reddened to embarrassment. Too late she realized that, just perhaps, biology wasn't the most appropriate topic of conversation she could discuss with a boy, especially one like Joker.

"Sorry, am I boring you?" she asked awkwardly.

He made a slow blink and shook his head. "Not at all," he replied. "If anything, it's interesting to see how passionate you are." He gestured toward her. "Your face is aglow."

She cleared her throat again, ducking her head so the brim of her sun hat hid her warm cheeks. "Well, there's nothing quite like learning something new," she said. "I only learned fairies and witches really exist this past March, so I find myself recontextualizing much of what I thought I knew."

"If you need a crash course in the supernatural, I can think of someone who might make an excellent professor," he said, touching his flat chest playfully.

"I'll keep that in mind."

A pair of brown birds fluttered across their path, twittering at each other. As Reika slowed to watch them, Joker asked, "Then interspecies marriages don't repulse you?"

"Should they?"

"Some would refuse to recognize those relationships."

"I suppose not, but as I've only become a Precure a few months ago, my perspective is different."

"True," he returned.

She thought of Mrs. Hoshizora, and she pictured a younger version of her standing in traditional bridal garments while a youkai groom claimed her. However, if Mrs. Hoshizora had fallen for a non-human, Reika would hardly think any less of a wonderful grandmother who'd shown such love to Miyuki and such hospitality to a group of unfamiliar teenagers (and Wolfrun), and who could possess a staggering immunity to despair. If anything, it made her that much more amazing if she had caught the eye of a supernatural being.

Reika raised her head, adjusting her hime-style bangs beneath her sun hat. "In any case," she said simply, "it's hardly my business what other people do."

"Interesting."

She looked up at his thoughtful face, still keeping her pace. "And what do you think about those marriages, since you asked me?"

He paused a moment before he answered. "It depends on the human, doesn't it?" he said quietly. "Do they have any sort of intelligence or anything that makes them special beyond just having a pretty face which will deteriorate in a few decades?"

Reika found herself smiling. "You care about that?" she asked, amazed.

He fiddled with his sushi. "Truthfully, I've never cared for such tales before," he said dully. "It's hard to take them seriously when you remember they're stories written by humans, for humans, extolling how great and beautiful humans are compared to everyone else."

"Do you think so?"

"No offense meant to present company," he said, bowing toward her, "but have you noticed the sheer arrogance in some of those tales? Merrow women—Irish mermaids—marry sailors and fishermen because merrow men are too ugly for them. Kitsune vixens marry human men. Ogres kidnap princesses for wives. Eros, the Greek god of love, chose a mere mortal for a bride, and Psyche's beauty was said to rival Aphrodite's."

"Yes, when you put it that way, I suppose we do seem like we're bragging," said Reika with a sheepish tug at her white skirt.

"But, I suppose," he continued, "if a human were exceptional enough, I'd understand how she'd be a tempting prospect to a god or a youkai." He raised the fried roll to his lips. "Or even to a sprite."

She straightened the wide brim of her hat to conceal the beam of hope which lit her eyes. Was she making progress with him?

"At the risk of sounding sentimental," she said slowly, "I must say there's one thing I like about the story of Eros and Psyche."

His mouth spasmed into what tried to be a polite expression but didn't quite make it. "What's that, Cure Beauty?"

She pinched her fingers together. After the Pegasus constellation had lent the Precure its power for their Princess Form, Reika had perused the local library for books on Greek mythology to better understand their equine patron. The romance between the winged god of love and his mortal princess had been a particular favorite of the ones she had discovered.

"Eros was invisible when he first courted Psyche," Reika began. "She didn't know she'd married a handsome god. She didn't even try to look at his face until her sisters convinced her she might've married a monster who'd eat her and her unborn child. If the royal sisters hadn't said anything, she'd probably have kept living that way in contentment."

Joker touched the nose of his white mask. "Oh? That pleases you?"

"If Psyche could love someone she couldn't see, then perhaps she and Eros had talked a lot. She fell in love with his heart and his mind, not his face."

His lips formed an incredulous grin. "You think the Greek god of love wooed his mortal by having everyday conversations like the two of us are having right now?"

"Why not?" she countered evenly. "Mother says marriage is made up of mundane moments together."

Joker snorted. "You are a unique one, Cure Beauty," he said, not unkindly. He tapped his lip, and he added, "At the risk of sounding condescending, there's one interesting thing I must say I admire about humans."

"What's that?"

He pressed his palms together and pulled them apart, and Reika watched a long, thin white balloon stretch between his fingers. He gripped the round ends, and then his hands became a blur, the rubber squeaking in protest as he twisted and knotted it into complicated patterns. When he finished, he held a cute little replica of Candy, and at some point he managed to give his creation yellow ears and tiny blue eyes.

She beamed. "You really are an artist, Joker-san."

Growing up with a grandfather who valued calligraphy and traditional flower arrangement had instilled in Reika a deep appreciation for creativity of all sorts, and Joker's illusions and magic tricks gave her much to admire.

"Just part of an entertainer's bread and butter," he said as he handed her the balloon sculpture. "But you humans have your own art, don't you? You're the ones who created fairies and sprites to begin with. Even Pierrot-sama was given life by a French writer."

"I suppose that's true," nodded Reika, "although I don't know if I have the writing skills to create storybook characters, myself."

"Oh, I think you have the brains for it," he replied cheerfully. "You certainly have artistic abilities of your own."

"Not as much as others," she said shyly, averting her gaze.

"I wonder," Joker said, holding his harlequin head to the side in reflection. "Could a half-human possess that ability? To create life through writing, that is."

Reika paused. She thought. She finally said, "It's an interesting question."

He looked at her, contemplative. "Perhaps someday we might be able to observe such a phenomenon for ourselves."

"Perhaps, as long as one treats such a child with the proper respect," she said seriously, "and if their parents agree to such an experiment."

"Assuming we ever find such a couple," said Joker.

"Well, love appears in unexpected places," she said, turning the Candy sculpture over in her hands.

Almost every visit she had with Joker challenged her intellect in some way, something she would've never believed possible when they first met. As elusive as mythological creatures were on Earth, they still existed, as did their fairy and sprite counterparts. Reika herself had met her share of them, her current companion being an immediate example. If Emperor Pierrot ever sought peace, perhaps she might see such loving unions.

She glanced at Joker as another new thought arose. A sudden image flitted across her mind of him teaching three or four little jesters in miniature masks how to craft balloon animals with magic. Her mouth widened a little, and she promptly looked away, lest he see it.

As Joker popped the last bite into his mouth, Reika gestured to the limp, crumb-filled handkerchiefs in his palm.

"I'll take those back if you're finished," she said helpfully. She held out her hand to retrieve the cloths, but he merely smoothed them out.

"If you'll indulge me, Cure Beauty," he said, "may I keep these?"

Reika shifted awkwardly. "Oh, but they aren't my best," she said. They did not even have a trim or special stitching. "I'm sure you can create something much more elegant."

"Ah, but you can tell a lot about a person by the handkerchiefs they carry, and yours are quite"—he paused as if looking for the right word—"exceptional."

Reika wanted to protest further, but then she nodded, taking it as a good sign. Perhaps for a magician of Joker's caliber, a small, plain token given by a friend held more meaning than a thousand treasures of his own creation.

"Then take them," she smiled. "My gift to you."

"My thanks," he said, inclining his head again. He slipped them beneath the purple folds of his cape-like collar into what might've been a hidden pocket, and he gave it a small pat.

Reika's gaze lingered on him, and her heart rose a little. But rather than embarrassing him by belaboring the moment, she nodded toward the way ahead.

"My, such a pretty path we're on, don't you think, Joker-san?"

"Very pretty," he agreed, although from the way he held his head toward Reika, it was hard to tell where he looked. "I wonder where it will lead."

"Only one way to find out." She gave a gentle gesture. "Shall we continue, Joker-san?"

He folded his arms behind him. "I'm game if you are, Cure Beauty."

Side by side, they continued on their way.

THE END

* * *

A quasi-prequel to "Question of Loyalty" (although you don't have to read that one first). I wanted to write something with positivity, thus this low-stakes, slice-of-life story came about.

Pockets — Reika's summer dress (which I personally call the "Pierrette dress") has pockets as we see in Ep. 22 when she pulls out Candy's tanzaku.

_one is never too powerful to refuse free food_ — Inspired by the _Futurama_ episode, "Three Hundred Big Boys", when one character says you're never too rich to enjoy a free turkey dog.

_After the Pegasus constellation had lent the Precure its power_ — While we don't see Reika taking any particular interest in Greek mythology, one would think regularly riding your own blue horsey in your group's supercharged attack would inspire an autodidactic scholar like Reika to glance at the Wikipedia article on Pegasus at least. As this is an AU anyway, I used artistic license.


End file.
